Gravelines

A fine sunday early evening in mid-july I departed from Antwerp for a trip to France, to Gravelines or maybe Boulogne. After a short stop near Breskens on the anchor from 1h00 Monday morning to 5h30, as imposed by the strong currents, we sailed / motored comfortably in one day with quiet weather all the way up to Dunkirk.

(Picture: the safe anchor spot on the Schelde half an hour upriver from Breskens and the North Sea.)

From Dunkirk I tried to get to Boulogne but turned back after several hours of beating double-reefed right against a 5 Beaufort wind and a serious current. It was simply too slow and too wet, and promised to become even harder as the day progressed. And Gravelines to my regret was not a possible plan B because of the lacking water to get through it's shallow canal. I would have had to sit it out for an eternity in front of the jetties...

My agenda did now not anymore allow me to go to Boulogne, but Wednesday we went to fine Gravelines instead. And there we got stuck for another day: halfway through the very long and shallow canal our engine suddenly decided to stall and we drifted for 15 minuted (it felt like an hour!) barely under control up to a miraculously available and reachable pontoon that appeared way behind a 60 degree corner! I still don't understand how I deserved that! I checked out the fuel system the next day and even mobilized a local mechanic who got the engine successfully runing for an hour.

After leaving Gravelines the early next morning, right after sunrise and after some selfies of my rosy happy face, the engine stopped again. Hum.

We used up the favourable current under sail, and then got into trouble when the wind died away to 2,9 knots, somewhere in front of the Dunkirk eastern entry - at the moment where the current turned against us. I here had to decide to enter Dunkirk under sail (not fun) or better to get the machine to collaborate. So I tucked my head under the engine hatch again, cleared the fuel supply system again and started the motor again... and then kept it running gently the rest of the day - up to Blankenberge. Here I opened the fuel tank and found large sections of rubber blocking the Diesel supply.

Saturday morning Vie and Roos trained to Blankenberge for bringing Lona back to Antwerp together. This turned into a great Saturday sail with a fine half wind and later a following wind on the Schelde up to Terneuzen. And next a lovely soft Sunday forenoon up to Antwerp where the doors opened at high tide around 11AM. See the new film on this website.

xxx